Make Resting Part of Your Workout Routine

Yes, you totally read that right. A new study shows that making an effort to take it easy during intense workouts will end up helping you get fitter, faster. (Score!)

According to sports scientists at Stirling University, building in periods of rest between tougher bouts of working out will give you the best overall fitness results.

Studying cyclists, researchers compared the difference between biking continuously for an hour and pedaling hard for a few minutes, then stopping for a few minutes to rest, then repeating a few times. The latter group was more successful in terms of power and performance, showing that short bursts of exercise make it easier for muscles to recover, even when that exercise is physically harder.

Many spin and interval training classes already build this idea into their routines, but you can use these findings to your advantage on your own, too. Instead of jogging for an hour on the treadmill, try running sprints for a half hour—run one minute, then walk the next, and so on. That way, you'll get the calorie burn you're looking for, but also allow your legs a chance to recover in between.

If anything, it's nice to know that taking a much-needed breather during our gym time is actually good for us, and not simply a sign that we're not as in shape as we'd thought.